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Disability Parking in Portland

**NEW - Wounded Warrior Placards**

Starting Jan. 1, 2019, Oregon veterans who qualify for a disabled parking permit and have a service-connected disability that is VA-rated at 50 percent or greater may apply for the new Oregon Wounded Warrior parking placard from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Driver and Motor Vehicles division (DMV).

Within Portland, these placards will be enforced the same as Wheelchair User Disability Placards. Wounded Warrior and Wheelchair Placards holders are exempt from paying at the meter, and may extend the posted time limit for all stalls that are at least 30 minutes (this excludes short-term stalls such as 15 minute or 5 minute. If you wish to park here, you must adhere to these time limits).

For more information on the Wounded Warrior placards please visit the DMV site here.

Improving Access for All

The City of Portland strives to balance the needs of our diverse community by preserving accessible parking for persons with disabilities and creating better opportunities for short-term parking in the metered areas of Portland. To increase the accessibility of short-term parking, the City adopted new policies for people using state-issued Disabled Person Parking Placards. The program extends parking meter times for people holding Disabled Parking Placards and adds reserved parking spaces for people holding these placards, including some specifically for wheelchair placard holders.

The Transportation Bureau assessed the effectiveness of the program in October, 2014 and found that it is working to improve availability of parking for all. The bureau will continue to monitor the program and make adjustments as needed.

How it works

Current guidelines apply to both types of DMV Disabled Parking Placards: Disabled Person Parking Placards and Wheelchair User Placards. Wheelchair User Placards can be distinguished from Disabled Person Parking Placards by the large white “W” in the upper right-hand corner by the wheelchair insignia, the words “Wheelchair User” towards the bottom, and the light blue color of the placard. Here are examples, for reference:

If you are traveling from out of state and your state offers a general disabled parking placard, follow the same parking regulations as people with Oregon disabled placards. If your state offers a wheelchair placard, follow the same parking regulations as people with Oregon Wheelchair User placards.

To find out how the rules affect you, click on one of the following links:

You can park without payment at any standard parking space marked for 30 minutes or longer if you have a state-issued Wheelchair User Disabled Person Parking Permit.

You may also park at any of the 30 new parking spaces reserved for people with state-issued Wheelchair User permits. Most of these spaces will have right-side loading.

2) I have a Disabled Person Parking Placard

If you wish to park at a two hour metered space, you must pay for two hours of meter time and then you may park an additional hour for no extra charge. (3- hours total)

On blocks with meters that allow three hours or more of parking, you would pay for the amount of parking you need within the designated time frame. (Refer to the chart below for examples.)

Meter Slot:

Pay up to:

Stay up to:

2 Hour

2 Hours

3 Hours

3 Hour

3 Hours

3 Hours

4 Hour

Actual Time Used

Actual Time Used

5 Hour

Actual Time Used

Actual Time Used

If you are unable to operate the meters or wish to park for longer than three hours or the posted time limit, the City is offering a scratch-off card as an alternative payment option. With a scratch-off card, you choose and pay for the time you need from these choices: one, two, three, four or six hours or all day. You then choose the day and time that you are parking and display the card on your dashboard. For more information on this option, please refer to category 5 below or contact parking@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2777.

You may also park at any of the 50 new parking spaces the City is establishing and reserving for people with Disabled Person Parking Placards. Meter rates apply.

If you have an ADA placard from another state that does not offer a Wheelchair User Parking Placard and you are a Wheelchair User, you may qualify for an "Out of State Wheelchair Parking Permit". This permit allows the use to park with the same privileges as an Oregon Wheelchair Placard holder. Use this link to apply for an Out of State Wheelchair Parking Permit.

3) I live in a neighborhood with parking meters.

You may be eligible for a separate on-street monthly permit. To be eligible, permit holders must document the impracticality of public transit and unavailability of private parking.

If you live in subsidized housing without parking within a neighborhood with meters, a free permit will be available that allows on-street parking without payment through June 30, 2020. Fill out the application for a residential permit and provide proof of your residence, such as your rent award letter from Home Forward or HUD Form 50059.

If you live in a neighborhood with parking meters and existing parking garages do not meed your needs, you may be eligible for a permit that would allow you to park on the street. You will be asked to provide proof of residence when you submit your application (for example, a credit card or utility bill that contains the applicant’s name and address).

You may be eligible for a permit that allows you to park on the street. This permit is specifically for employment access for people who cannot reasonably use public transportation, are not provided parking by their employer, and for whom existing parking garages do not meet their needs. Employees are asked to provide proof of employment along with your application (for example, a pay stub or letter from the employer verifying employment).

The employee permit will only be valid within a three-block radius of your place of employment. (Refer to the example below.)

5) I would like another way of paying other than walking to and from the meter.

Portland Parking Kitty App is a new smartphone app that can be used to pay for parking from wherever you need. It's as simple as park, pay, and be on your way. For more information on the Parking Kitty App, please click here.

If you are unable to operate the meters, use the Parking Kitty app, or wish an alternative to paying at the meter, the City is offering scratch-off cards. With a scratch-off card, you choose and pay for the time you need and simply display your scratch-off card on the dashboard. There is no need to walk to and from the meter.

How it works:

a) Tell us which district you wish to park in: Downtown, Northwest, Central Eastside or Lloyd District since each district has different pricing.

A property owner may request a disability parking space be placed along their fronting property when:

Property is located outside of a metered or permitted zone and

Property is zoned residential and

There is no off-street parking (off-street parking space definition: An off-street parking space included parking lots, parking structures, garages, carports, driveways without carports or garages or any other legal parking space on private property) and

There are no more than 2 disability spaces already on the block face or 500 feet of lineal curb feet from the requestor address and

The property requesting accommodation is not on an unimproved roadway.

The city will contact all property owners adjacent to disability parking spaces by mail every 2 years to determine whether the space is still in use.

Written request must be submitted from property owner and include a copy of a state issued disability placard for someone who lives in the home. Disability parking spaces on public right of way do not meet the ADA standards of private property. Placement of a disability parking space must be adjacent to property of requestor and will be dependent on street furnishing. (Trees, fire hydrants, plantings, etc.) The City will not install a disability parking space in front of a different property than requestors. Disability parking spaces are installed in the public right of way as an accommodation to the requestor and do not reserve the space for any one individual. Any vehicle displaying a valid state issued disability placard may park in the space without time limit. Contact information for field representative in your area can be found here.